Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-01-18
WILT COME TO THIS?
Rumors that the Railroad will carry
their own Express Matter--Floatins
RumOrs and the Foundation There


1t is reported along the lines of the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, that the
express business of its lines will-be done
after the first of February by the COM
panY itself This will put a big hole in
the business of the American Express
company. as it runs on all the 8, 900 miles
of operated and leased lines of the system
The Office here does the exclusive express
business on the Hannibal & St. Joe, St.
Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern and Chi
csgo, Burlington & Quincy The Balti-
more & Ohio handles its own express and
makes money out Of it.
A Davenport Democrat reporter inter-
viewed Agent Tomlinson of the Ameri,
can Express company across the river on
the subject yesterday, and was told THAT
there was nothing new in the above. 1t
was an old report with a new start.
Major Rathbone one of the American
Express company's travelling Super>
visors was also approached by the
Democrat scribe, and this was the
result:
Yes, | know all about that report
know how it was started afresh. You
see S. G, Seaton, who has been with
the American more than twenty years
superintendent the past ten years-re-
signed On the list of November, to take
effect on the first of this month. And
now it is stated that the c., B. & @. has
employed him in it's traffic management
at salary which is $4,000 larger than
the American paid him So, many of
the employees believe that the @. has
employed him with the intention of
running the expires bushes on IT'S lines
This is the origin of the report"
Then there is no foundation for it,
Maior2"
Not for the LIST of February, there
isn't. but I'll tell you what | really be
lieye about express business and the
railroads. l believe that in less than
five years the c., r. l. & P. and O., the
ST. Paul, the Northwestern, in short all
these great trunk lines of road, will do
express business themselves. They are
getting ready for it-there are indications
of that. You know when the Erie broke
with the United States? Well, that line
fixed the rate of transporting express so
high that the United States couldn't con-
tinue the business on its lines, and the
Erie took the business into its own hands.
At first, though. it tried to induce
other express companies to take line,
but none would do SO, because it
is tacit understanding between
express companies that when a
company quits road because the rental
is too high, no other company will take
it. Well, now, as | understand it, the
Erie finds its express business so profit
able that it brags over 1t to the other big
railroad companies, and several are FIX
ing things to make break in the same
direction. The B Il 0. folks have never
said much about their profits in the bus,
mess
Il suppose the express business is not
as profitable, anyway, as it was before
the government admitted packages of all
sorts to the mails as fourth class matter
enlargement of the postal jurisdiction
must have caused a great change in the
express business"
"Oh, yes, that came about as a matter
of especially in large cities
where mail is delivered by mail carriers.
These carriers take packages directly to
the person addressed-and the express
companies don't do that outside the bus
mess section of a city as a rule But
you let the railroads manage their own
express business and you will see a
change in that transportation of small
packages.
What sort of a changes'
The railroad managers will put their
heads together. and they will induce a
change in the postal laws. The post
office department and plenty mem bers
of congress will discover that the carry
ing Of packages of all sorts of goods by
mail is Improbable, troublesome, incon =
venient, and bad in every way: congress
will pass bill either repeating the
Fourth class matter act, or limiting its
jurisdiction very much-and thus an i'm.
mense amount of small package business
will return to the express companies who
will be the railroad companies, l can tell
you what it is, the longest headed men.
the sharpest, shrewdest, business men in
the world are the heads of these big rail-
road companies. Good day." and the
major started for the American express
office.
An ARGUS reporter showed the above
to local agent McKibben, of the
American Express company this morn,
ing. He said it was nothing new. 1,
was merely a matter talked of three
years ago. Route Agent Wilhelm said
when spoken to on the subject, that the c.,
B, & Q, meant probably TO investigate
the possibility of carrying its express
matter, and had engaged Mr.. Seaton,
whose service with the American Ex-
press company had been discontinued
for that purpose. The Burlington, Mr..
Wilhelm said, however, would make nc
such move without fully examining into
it and first giving a bid to the American
express company, between which and
the railroad company the most cordial
relations had always existed. The B
& o." said Mr. W. adopted the system
Of carrying its own express, severa
years ago. and l don't believe 1t ha
worked satisfactorily. 1t may d.
well enough in some cities, but in tn
smaller stations where the railroad agen,
is obliged TO act as express agent too, the
result is not always satisfactory to either
the railroads or those having goods I,
ship. The main point in expressini
goods, is speed, to get them through as
soon as possible. We often send pack
age over several different roads in on,
day, whereas it might take a railroad
several DAYS TO make the same transfers